The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
The ones that weren't polytechnics.
ElWilson
Could anyone tell me of all of the universities titled "redbrick"?

Thanks :smile:


Birmingham which I am 100% sure about..do know a few others that I think are "red brick", but not 100% sure, but "redbricks" are those unis that have been around for a while, I think the older ones are "redbricks".

Hope that helps...
Reply 3
Sussex is redbrick. I think the term 'redbrick' comes from the new universities that used redbrick to build their buildings.. usually coming from the 1960s+ era (soo Sussex, Kent, UEA, Birmingham etc)
Reply 5
thenaughtyjoker
Sussex is redbrick. I think the term 'redbrick' comes from the new universities that used redbrick to build their buildings.. usually coming from the 1960s+ era (soo Sussex, Kent, UEA, Birmingham etc)


Not True, the term redbrick was coined by a professor of music at Liverpool University to refer to the Civic universities that were granted their Royal Charters Pre World War Two. There are 6 of these original civic redbricks: Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield. Sussex is, like other institutions such as Warwick, York, Lancaster, Kent and UEA a Glass Plate University, which is the name given to the new universities founded in the 1960s. Occasionally the term redbrick is widened to include institutions which existed pre war as University Colleges, but were not granted charters till the 1950s(ish), places like Nottingham, Leicester, Southampton etc. These are not true redbricks but if they were to come into a catagory they come closer to the redbricks then the Glass plates which are very distinct. The Wikipedia article has a bit more detail if you want to know more.
Tomber
Not True, the term redbrick was coined by a professor of music at Liverpool University to refer to the Civic universities that were granted their Royal Charters Pre World War Two. There are 6 of these original civic redbricks: Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield. Sussex is, like other institutions such as Warwick, York, Lancaster, Kent and UEA a Glass Plate University, which is the name given to the new universities founded in the 1960s. Occasionally the term redbrick is widened to include institutions which existed pre war as University Colleges, but were not granted charters till the 1950s(ish), places like Nottingham, Leicester, Southampton etc. These are not true redbricks but if they were to come into a catagory they come closer to the redbricks then the Glass plates which are very distinct. The Wikipedia article has a bit more detail if you want to know more.


Ah cheers!.. whats the deal with 'red-brick' unis anyway!? - people often refer them to being the better unis?
thenaughtyjoker
Ah cheers!.. whats the deal with 'red-brick' unis anyway!? - people often refer them to being the better unis?


You must be mistaking with "Russel Group" unis, I don't think Redbrick unis have ever been referred to as better unis...
The Orientalist
You must be mistaking with "Russel Group" unis, I don't think Redbrick unis have ever been referred to as better unis...


Forgive my ignorance, but what are Russel Group unis :colondollar:?!
Reply 9
thenaughtyjoker
Forgive my ignorance, but what are Russel Group unis :colondollar:?!


Research led universities along with the 1994 group as well. The universities part of these groups have a far higher research budget than most other universities. Information on 1994 group and Russel Group can be found on Wiki.

Regarding red brick being better - not really, its just noted because they are more established.
walshie
Research led universities along with the 1994 group as well. The universities part of these groups have a far higher research budget than most other universities. Information on 1994 group and Russel Group can be found on Wiki.

Regarding red brick being better - not really, its just noted because they are more established.


:O Durham isn't even in the russell group!.. but then sheffield and cardiff are?! :s-smilie:
Reply 11
thenaughtyjoker
:O Durham isn't even in the russell group!.. but then sheffield and cardiff are?! :s-smilie:


Why the :s-smilie:?
Try looking at the 1994 group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Group
ElWilson
Could anyone tell me of all of the universities titled "redbrick"?

Thanks :smile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redbrick
Red Brick originally referred to the six civic British universities that were founded in the industrial cities of England in the Victorian era and achieved university status before World War II.
The six civic universities are:

* University of Birmingham
* University of Bristol
* University of Leeds
* University of Liverpool
* University of Manchester
* University of Sheffield
thenaughtyjoker
:O Durham isn't even in the russell group!.. but then sheffield and cardiff are?! :s-smilie:


That's because it's an informal lobbying group of large research-heavy universities - it's not a group of the "best" universities or any such nonsense as that, despite what they may try and make people think. Many good universities aren't in it and (arguably, depending on your point of view) several not-so-good universities are.

Universities such as (eg) Durham and St Andrews are fantastic but not large (through choice and good planning) and hence while their teaching and research are excellent, they choose not to join the Russell Group as they don't have that much in common with them structurally, and hence have different things they want from the government which collective Russell Group lobbying wouldn't get for them.
fredsmith365
That's because it's an informal lobbying group of large research-heavy universities - it's not a group of the "best" universities or any such nonsense as that, despite what they may try and make people think: many good universities aren't in it and (arguably, depending on your point of view) several not-so-good universities are. Universities such as (eg) Durham and St Andrews are excellent but not large (through choice) and hence while their teaching and research is excellent, they choose not to join the Russell Group as they don't have that much in common with them.


The G5 is considered the elite British universities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G5
shady lane
The G5 is considered the elite British universities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G5


More precisely, the G5 consider themselves to be the elite British universities :wink: Such things defy classification, as universities are such complex beasts they all have good points and bad points.
Reply 16
The Orientalist
You must be mistaking with "Russel Group" unis, I don't think Redbrick unis have ever been referred to as better unis...

People do think of them as better unis, and they are all good universities, but I don't think anyone thinks of them as the "best" unis (excluding oxbridge because almost everyone thinks of them as the best) because of course many of the best unis are newer ones.
Reply 17
Its all subjective, but "Red Brick" generally means a particular tier of unis. Theres the formal definition. But people use it like that quite alot.

For example when people think of how good or presitigous a uni is. they will generally think.

1) Oxbridge
2) Top london colleges, such as , LSE, UCL, IC,
2) On par but a bit different, top "red bricks" such as Bristol, Sheffield etc
2) On par but slightly different again. Durham, Edinburgh, and the best of the plate glass unis. Such as Warwick, Southampton, etc
3) Lower ranked red bricks such as manchester, liverpool, leeds. and also unis like Exeter, Reading, Sussex.
4) The rest of the plate glass unis, Like UEA
5) Good polies, like Oxford Brookes
6) Worse polies like .. Liverpool John Moores
7) Places that are considered pretty dreadfull such as TVU and Luton.

Sorry if it sounds snobbish, but thats my personal opinion. Its all subjecive and unis will be in different tiers depending on who you talk to. their bias and also what disciplines you are interested in. but generally the structure is as above.
Psyk
People do think of them as better unis, and they are all good universities, but I don't think anyone thinks of them as the "best" unis (excluding oxbridge because almost everyone thinks of them as the best) because of course many of the best unis are newer ones.


I never said so, I was just speculating on what thenaughtyjoker meant when talking about a group of so-called "better unis". Of course russel group unis aren't better unis, they're just unis who put a strong emphasis on research.
shady lane
The G5 is considered the elite British universities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G5


Well arguably, Warwick is better than UCL so I strongly doubt the G5 is considered as the elite British unis.